Town of Berkley Urges Residents to Remain Vigilant Against COVID-19 Spread Following Rise in Cases

BERKLEY — Town Administrator Heather Martin-Sterling and Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Scott Fournier report that the Town of Berkley has seen a rise in positive COVID-19 cases recently, resulting in an increased risk designation from the Commonwealth. 

According to the public health data released on Thursday, Nov. 12, the Town’s designation is now “Yellow,” indicating a “medium risk” in the community. This designation follows the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (DPH) update to the calculation of risk designations to better reflect COVID-19 caseload in relation to population. Berkley’s “Yellow” designation in accordance with the new metrics indicates less than or equal to 25 positive cases in the community. 

According to today’s data, there have been 21confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Berkley over the past two weeks. Berkley’s average daily incidence rate, which the state uses to calculate risk determinations, has risen to 22.0 per 100,000 residents, up from last week’s rate of 15.7

“We urge our residents to remain vigilant against the spread of COVID-19 as the spread is currently seen to be primarily occurring within households and at social gatherings, especially among young adults,” said Chief Fournier. “We also ask that all of our residents do their part in stopping the spread by adhering to Gov. Baker’s new safety measures that went into effect last week.”

Berkley residents are reminded of the new state measures now in effect. They include: 

• Stay At Home Advisory: A revised Stay At Home Advisory has been issued which instructs residents to stay home between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Exceptions are made for activities such as going to work, running critical errands to get groceries and address health needs, and taking a walk. To read the revised advisory, click here.
• Early Closure of Businesses and Activities: A new executive order requires certain businesses to close and activities to end each night at 9:30 p.m. To read the new executive order, including a full list of businesses affected by the new early closure requirement, click here.
• Face Coverings: Face coverings are now required in all public places, even if 6 feet of social distance can be maintained. Limited exceptions remain. To read the revised face-coverings order, click here.
• Gatherings: A new order reduces the gathering size limit for gatherings at private residences. Indoor gatherings at private residences are limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings at private residences are limited to 25 people. The new order also requires that organizers of gatherings report known positive COVID-19 cases to the local health department and requires organizers to cooperate with contact tracing. To read the revised gatherings order, click here.

Holiday Safety

With the holiday season upon us, the Town of Berkley would like to share the following holiday safety tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• Family and friends should consider the number and rate of COVID-19 cases in their community and in the community where they plan to celebrate when considering whether to host or attend a holiday celebration. 
• Host outdoor activities rather than indoor activities as much as possible. If hosting an outdoor event is not possible, and you choose to host an indoor event, avoid crowded, poorly ventilated, or fully enclosed indoor spaces.
• Avoid traveling for the holidays as traveling increases the chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Celebrating virtually or with members of your own household poses low risk for spread.
• During holiday celebrations, you should maintain a distance of at least 6 feet or more from people you don’t live with, wear a mask and avoid busy eating areas, such as restaurants during high volume mealtimes.
• If you participated in higher risk activities or think that you may have been exposed during your celebration, take extra precautions (in addition the ones listed above) for 14 days after the event to protect others:

To view more holiday safety tips, visit the CDC’s COVID-19: Holiday Celebration page here.

General COVID-19 Safety

Town officials would also like to remind residents, especially young adults, of the COVID-19 prevention tips from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH):

• Remember that an infected individual can spread COVID-19 before they have symptoms, which is why social distancing — maintaining a minimum of 6 feet from others — is critical.
• Those who must go out are urged to:
  • Avoid gathering in groups
  • Maintain 6 feet from people outside your household
  • Do not shake hands or hug
  • Wash your hands often
• Those who are at a high risk for COVID-19, including those over the age of 65 and with underlying health conditions, are advised to stay home and avoid non-essential tasks and errands.
• Wear a mask in indoor and outdoor spaces where social distancing from people outside your household is not possible. This does not apply to those under the age of two and with underlying health conditions.
• Face coverings should:
  • Cover the nose and mouth
  • Fit snugly and comfortably against the side of the face
  • Be secured with either ties or ear loops
  • Permit breathing without difficulty
  • Be able to be washed and machine dried without damage. Face masks should be washed regularly depending on the amount of use.

For additional tips from the CDC, click here, and from the Massachusetts DPH, click here. 

Any resident with questions or concerns is asked to contact the Berkley Board of Health at 508-822-7828.

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